08 Tribute spongy brake pedal

[ktrist]

Our daughter has an '08 Tribute (2.3 L, 4 cyl, non-hybrid). She noticed last week the brake pedal was really soft (spongy). She was able to brake but wasn't getting the usual response from the brake. The car will brake 2/3 of the way to the floor. Brake pedal doesn't touch floor. Her dad began looking at the issue.

1. Master cylinder was full with brake fluid
2. No leaks anywhere including rear brake cylinders
3. No brake line was ballooning.
4. Changed the front brake pads (although wasn't really needed).
5. Inspected the rear drums and adjusted them.
6. Cleaned rear shoes and bled both the front and rear lines.
7. Replaced the master cylinder (Mazda parts)
8. Bench bled the master cylinder, installed and bled master cylinder lines.
9. Bled the fronts one more time.

Suggestions as to where to go from here?

He's been working on it all week and is at a loss as to what to do next. Speedy reply is appreciated as the daughter wants her car back.


Thanks,

Ktrist

 

[ktrist]

We have also just taken the tribute for a drive that would allow us to apply the brakes well enough to trigger the ABS in case there is air in the ABS unit. Brought it back home and re-bled all brakes. While considerable air was pulled from the right rear all others were minimal. We are now at a loss as to what to do next - short of taking it in to a Brake guy and seeing what they can do. If anyone can help us here it's appreciated.

 

[mazdadude]

Just a thought, but since the Tribute is really a FORD ESCAPE, you might have some more luck with your issue if you try searching under that.

Other than that, it really sounds like you have done everything possible that I could think of. How are you bleeding the brakes? Are you using the manual method, or are you using a speedbleeder/extraction device?

 

[ktrist]

We have done the manual method. This morning after going to a couple of local repair shops, one being a place that only works on brakes it was suggested we gravity bleed the brakes then do the manual bleed in this order - Rear right, rear left, front right and front left according to the Mazda shop manual. So we spent hours doing all of this. We kept doing it til we had no bubbles at all. So, we put it all back together and it's still spongy. At first the shop guys thought we'd done something wrong that caused the sponginess but once we reminded them the sponginess was the reason it was torn into in the first place they were left scratching their heads too. We actually spoke with the mechanic at one of the shops and he said most garages use the manual method because it's just as effective as the speed bleeding and cheaper.
I do have a friends son living in Korea who is a trained mechanic. He is about to get out of the Army and come back home (less than 2 weeks) so I contacted him. He is thinking the ABS modulator. The only thing he can think of that would be putting air back in the system after it's been bled. He said we could bleed the ABS modulator ourselves but it's a pain in the butt.
I have looked at Ford forums and have seen all the same suggestions there. We've done it all except the ABS modulator. I guess that's next. The daughter is wanting her car back but we've got to get it right because it's also due for an inspection. Beyond frustrated.